Smoke stick



Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SMOKE STICK Joseph Gross, Ridgewood, N. Y.

Application November 25, 1938, Serial No. 242,399

3 Claims.

This invention concerns a smoke Stick, i. e., a stick used in a smoking chamber and serving as a support rom Which are suspended meats 'to be cured or dried by smoke.

Smoke sticks are extended rom side to side in a smoking chamber. It is convenient to arrange the smoke sticks so that they can be removed and may be separately handled for suspending meats thereon. For that purpose a smoke rack or smoke frame may be provided by way of which cross bars are arranged on opposite sides of the smoking chamber. The ends of the smoke sticks are suitably allocated on opposite sides of the smoking chamber upon such cross-bars and bridge the working space in the 'smoking chamber, where meats are suspended therefrom. Instead of being built into the smoking chamber, the smoke rack or smoke frame may be withdrawably arranged in the smoking chamber. such a movable smoke rack or frame is requently referred to as a smoke tree and will hereinafter be described at greater detail.

The eustomary shape given to a smoke stick is round or tubular, the latter form being pre- 'ferred in order to obtain greater structural strength. In Connection with such bulky smoke sticks the meat suspended therefrom will frequently abut upon the smoke sticks, and the portion of the meat thus contacting the smoke stick is not properly smoked. Under these oir-- cumstances the smoke Stick must be removed at some time during the smoking from the smoking chamber, or the smoke trees must be withdrawn from the smoking chamber and the smoke sticks must be removed therefrom, and then the meat suspended on each smoke Stick must be turned and rearranged, so that the portion of meat which had been in contact with the smoke stick is now outwardly exposed.

such changing will, for instance, be necessary in Connection with strings of sausages, which do not only rest upon a smoke stick of the old art at a restricted section of the gut between sausages, but part of the sausages themselves will, by necessity, also abut upon such a stick. In Connection with sausages the turning or rearrangement of the position during smoking is however difiicult, inasmuch as the sausages are then extremely susceptible to touch and liable to break and burst when moved.

It has been an object of this invention to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art and to provide improved smoke sticks which are less bulky and better arranged in shape or profile,

so that they do not interfere with proper smokmg.

At the same time an improved smoke stick of this invention is arranged in such fashion, that it also directs and guides the smoke for a uniform distribution of the smoke over all parts of meat to be cured.

These and other objects of the invention Will be better understood from the following exemplary description 'of an embodiment of this invention, which is not to be interpreted in limitation but rather in illustration of this invention. The description is illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in Which:

Fig. 1 shows the elevation of a smoke tree.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partly sectioned smoke stick. One section of the smoke Stick is shown to support sausages at the begirining of the smoking process; in Connection With another section of the stick the smoking of the sausages suspended thereon has well advanced.

Fig. 3 shows a bottom view of a section of a smoke Stick of this invention.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectioned end view of such a stick. The line of section and direction in which it is taken are pointedout in Fig. 3 by the numeral 4 and arrows.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the various views:

The smoke rack or smoke frame is indicated in Fig. 1 as a smoke tree II, Which is rotatably engaged at IZ upon, and suspended from a trolley IS running on a rail I l. The rail I4 will similar parts extend into a smoking chamber, so that the i 4 smoke tree H may be pushed into the smoking chamber along the rail [4.

The smoke tree I I is a rectangular frame which is as clear as possible on the bottom and on the top in order to provide for free passage of the smoke. It is open upon at least one side or on opposite sides. By way of one or the other of the open sides the smoke Stick |5 carrying the sausages IG in spaced alignment may be'inserted and deposited upon cross-bars IT extending across the smoke tree upon opposite sides 8 and I9 thereof. The cross bars I'I may be notched or otherwise shaped in order to receive and support the smoke sticks |5 at predeterminedly allocated positions. The smoke sticks I5 are adjusted in length to fit between the opposite sides I8 and I9 of the smoke tree II and they may be shaped at their extreme ends, e. g. attenuated as indicated at 20 in order to fit upright into the cross-bars at the allocated position, into half-round notches in said cross-bars. In other words the two bottom legs 2| and 22 of a smoke stick may have less width at the ends 20 then at intermediary points, for instance at the cross-section of Fig. 4, which is taken at an intermediary point of the smoke stick as pointed out by the numeral 4 and arrows in the bottom view of Fg. 3.

In order to allow the smoke stick to be reduced in bulk, it should be made up in material which has a o parat v ly i stren th. A u u compositions were found suitable, and rigid plastics may be found of use, where the thermal conductivity and other Considerations are of import. The embodiment of the drawing shows a structural shape.

The principal supporting section of the smoke Stick is a Vertical web 23. From thi Web *23, for instance from the bottom thereof, extend at an incline in opposite directions two other webs 2| and 22, which serve as legs. 'I'hus the three webs converge at obtuse angles and extend to the corners of an isosceles or equilateral triangle. The two legs 21 and 22 are suitably perfoated-see for instance the slots 24 and holes 25-for reasons later to be discussed. Since the ertical web 23 is the principal element relied upon to take up a Vertical bending moment, it is preferably not perforated.

The oter ends 26 of the webs 2|, 22 and 23 are preferably smooth and may be rounded as indicated ,at 2.6. The legs of webs 2| and 22 provide an inyerted trough between each other in which the smoke arisi-ng from below is caught and is suitably directed by the perforations 24 and 25 onto the portions of meat extended above said legs 2| and 22 over the upper Web 23. 'The size and relative arrangement of the perforations is therefore selected in order to pass'the smoke with the least hindrance thereabove, preserving at the same time the desired structural strength provided by the legs 2| and 22 as crossmembers. The perforations may be relatively ofiset, as shown, so that some of the perorations, like holes 25, serve to release smoke upwardly from the highest points of the inverted trough formed by the legs or webs 2| and 22.

A string of sausages IB is shown to be suspended at regular intervals, i. e. at points where the gut is restricted or empty between sausages, upon the rounded top edge 26 of the Vertical web 23 of the smoke Stick l5. The loops of the sausage chain 16 may hang limply down at the beginning of the smoking operation, and may then toch the extreme ends 26 of the legs 2| and 22. But as the smoking progresses the sausages stff: en, the loops open up a d the meat completely substantial openings intermediate the ends there- A swings away from the legs 2| and 22, out of contact therewith. This is indicated in connection with a few loops IG' of a sausage chain on the section l 5' of the smoke stick of Fig. 2.

'I'hus it is possible with an improved smoke Stick of this invention to smoke meats, e. g., chains of sausages, in one continuous operation. Because all parts of the meat are uniformly exposed to the smoke so that a rearrangement of the sausages upon the smoke ,stick is no longer necessary.

Having thus described my invention in detail, I do not wish to be limited thereby, except as the state of the art and the appended clams may;require, for it is obvious that Various modifications and changes may be made in the form of embodiment of my invention, without departing from "the 'Spirit and scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A smoke stick from which meats are to be suspended, tcom prising a threelegged integral metal Structure, one of the legs being Vertical and having unifonn thickness throughout :its length, the other legs being 'positioned .at .an-obtuse angle in respect to the first leg and :to .each other, and being of uniform thickness throughout their length, .each of :the latter legs having 2. A smoke stick from which meats are to be suSpended, comprising a .three-legged integral metal Structure, one of the legs being Vertical and having uniform thickness throughout its length, the other legs being positioned at an obtuse angle in respect to the first leg and to each other, and being of uniform thickness throughout their length, each of the latter legs having substantial openings intermediate the ends thereof, and all of said legs being smoothly curved along their outer edges.

3. A smoke Stick from which meats are to be suspended, comprising a three-legged integral metal Structure, one of the legs being Vertical and having uniform thickness throughout its length, the other legs being positioned at an obtuse angle in respect to the first leg and to each other, and being of uniforn' thickness throughout their length, each of the latter legs having substantial openings intermediate the ends thereof, and having at the ends of the Stick configurations different from the said one first leg to thereby indicate to the user that those portions of the legs are to be positioned on the support.

JOSEPH GROSS. 

